Mouldy Bogu

[taganahan]

After 2-3 years of kendo hiatus, I've decided to practice again 2 weeks ago. But 2 weeks ago, I saw my bogu had moulds on it, especially the men and kote. Seeing this, my initial instinct was to hose it down which I did.

I'm still kinda worried if it's really clean enough. Can anyone suggest what else i can do? Steam cleaning or something else?

~taganahan

[Maku-san]

After 2-3 years of kendo hiatus, I've decided to practice again 2 weeks ago. But 2 weeks ago, I saw my bogu had moulds on it, especially the men and kote. Seeing this, my initial instinct was to hose it down which I did.

I'm still kinda worried if it's really clean enough. Can anyone suggest what else i can do? Steam cleaning or something else?

~taganahan

My sensei swears by Lysol Spray. FWIW... if it works for him, it may work for you! :)

[1prettygirl]

Diluted alcohol?

[Neil Gendzwill]

It's been suggested to make a weak solution of bleach (30:1) and use a spray bottle. It should kill whatever critters are on there. Try it on an unexposed section first to make sure you don't screw up the dye or anything.

[Abramo]

Chemical treatments work to a point, but what will do most of the job is some exposure to sunlight. Leave the bogu for a few hours under mild sunshine (of course this will depend on your latitude. Avoid the 11am-1pm period) and with proper airing too. I found that leaving it under a window works well, because it's unlikely to receive direct light and it avoids the stronger hours.
After this initial treatment remember to keep your bogu dry as much as possible. Dry the inside of the men with a clean cloth or absorbant towel and stuff some of it in the kote. There are many ways to do this. Sunlight, again, helps.

If you don't overexpose it shouldn't fade the colours nor anything. Sunlight works because of the UV, that kills bacteria and fungus. If you have access to an UV light source (they are used in labs and are also sold as gadgets) it might work too, but I have never tested this myself.

[Omnis]

Use vinegar for mold.

[CH0ZEN]

Fabreeze makes a very good anti-bacterial spray which I've been using regularly to disinfect my bogu. I find that it works very well as a deodorizer and does not stain your bogu. I was most concerned about stains and was very hesitant to use any bleach, even diluted, on bogu which cost me a small fortune. Try the Fabreeze, you won't regret it. Remember, it has to be the anti-bacterial one, otherwise all you're doing is masking the smell without disinfecting anything.

[Manuka]

Mold grows with heat, moisture and darkness.
Use a stiff brush to remove, brush away from you to avoid breathing mold spores.
Put in the sun which provides drying and light.

Hose down just adds another pile of moisture.

I lived in the tropics for a while, kept an incandescent light bulb permanently on in the bottom of closets to prevent mold.
Light plus dry heat to keep humidity down.

Mild bleach solution will also kill mold, just dry really well after.

[xvikingx]

I found that leaving it under a window works well, because it's unlikely to receive direct light and it avoids the stronger hours.
This is all good advice. I just wanted to say I've been exposing my bogu to direct sunlight for years, and is hasn't faded nor been damaged in any way. The set I keep at the dojo however is like a bad biology experiment. A couple of weeks back when there was a big H1N1 scare our dojo closed for a week. I came back the next Monday and my kote were still wet and nasty inside. Ew.:alien:

[taganahan]

thanks everyone!

Been using febreeze a long time ago to deodorize it. Guess I'll give that a try. Anyone here ever did a steam clean on theirs?

~taganahan

[TheWanderingEye]

Anyone here ever did a steam clean on theirs?
I think I'll try it this weekend. I haven't touched the steam cleaner in ages.